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(No Model.)

ELB. LAKE.

COW GATGHER FOR LOOOMOTIVE ENGINES. No. 284,488. Patented Sept. 4, 1883.

. n. PETERS. Pnnwmho u mn Washington. as.

y T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EZRA B. LAKE, a citizen 1 UNITED "ST TES? PATENT 01mm EZRA 13. LAKE, OF OCEAN CITY, 'NEWV JERSEY.

CO Wv-CATC HER FO'R LOCOMOTlVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.. 284,438, dated'september 4,1883,

Application filed February 2, 1888.; No modclr V of the United States, residing at Ocean City, in the county of Cape May and State of :New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cow-Catchers for Locomo tives, Engines, &c.; andl do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the forward part of a locomotive with my improved cowcatcher. Fig. 2 is a front view of my inven tion.

My invention has for its object to provide a cow-catcher for locomotives which shall be more effective in operation in clearing the track and avoiding danger to the train and engine than any device for the purpose heretofore produced.

My improvements consist in the peculiar construction and combinations of parts here- O is a frame composed of two side bars, 0 G,

pivoted at c c to the frame or bed of the locomotive and slightly in the rear of a perpen- 'dicular let-fall through the axis of the pilotwheels B B. V

In the forward ends of the bars 0 O a shaft, D, has its bearings. On the journals orends of this shaftare wheels d d, which normally side incliningto thelatter side. If more than wheels B B, so that when the engine is in mo- Above the shaft D i tion and advancing the shaft D and wheels E will be rotated in the direction of the arrows. Should a cow or other like obstruction on the track be met the wheels E will toss it upwardly and outwardly, preventing such obstruction from getting under the cow-catcher or beneath the 'car'-wheels,and thereby avoiding the danger of derailing the engine or throwing it or the train off the track. As the frame 0 is hinged the weight of a cow or other obstruction met by and thrown upon it will press the wheelsd d more strongly than before against the wheels B B, and thus tend to assist rather than to hinder the rotation of the shaft D and wheels E E. So, too, owing to the. hinging of the frame 0, the wheels E may be brought much closer tothe track than is permissible with an ordinary rigid cow-catcher. If the wheels E meet an obstacle, such as an unduly altitude above the track, when they strike a 5 cow or similar animal the legs of thebeast are very apt to get beneath the cow-catcher and upon the rails, resulting in throwing the engine off the latter. I My improvements obviate this, as the wheels E have theirspurs project so far down that they prevent the legs IOO upward, they instantly remove, by an upward throw, any movable obstacle which meets or is met by them.

If desired, the shaft D and wheels E may constitute the lower part and front of the cowcatcher, the guard-bars f f being above and back of them; or acow-catcher of the ordinary construction may be employed, and have located beneath it and supported in a hinged frame, 0, a shaft, D,with wheels d E, the spurs of the latter projecting upwardly'between the bars of such cow-catcher.

What I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. A cow-catcher comprising a hinged frame supporting a shaft carrying friction -wheels which bear against the pilot-wheels of the engine, and spur-wheels which rotate when the engine is traveling, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination,with a locomotive or en- 20 gine, of a frame or support, 0, and shaft D, carrying-wheels E, having spurs which are inclined" or beveled to the right and left, respectively, substantially as shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have 2 5 hsereunto set my hand this 26th day of January,

EZRA B. LAKE.

' Witnesses:

ANDREW ZANE, J r., WILL H. POWELL. 

